Feeder apparatus for timber harvesters

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a feeder apparatus for timber harvesters, the apparatus being intended to pull the log in for trimming and preferably featuring a three strand roller chain rotating around a turning wheel and a cog wheel with log grabbing members attached to the outer plates of the roller links of the roller chain. It is the intention of the present invention to realize a track-operated feeder apparatus simpler yet sturdier than conventional designs. In a feeder apparatus in accordance with invention, the chain is powered by a cog wheel driving the center strand of roller links, and all strands of roller links are supported essentially for their total grab length by rolling beds supporting the rollers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of PCT application filed May27, 1985 and bearing application Ser. No. PCT/FI85/00046. This claim ismade under Section 35 U.S.C. 365 (c), under Section 35 U.S.C. 371 andunder any other Section of the U.S.C. supporting such claim.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns a feeder apparatus for timber harvesterswhere the feed-in movement, parallel to the log, is generated with arotating, preferably three strand roller chain which has log grabbingmembers such as, for example spikes, attached to the outer plates of theroller links of the outer strands. In the following, the roller chainincluding its grabbing members is referred to as a track.

2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention Including PriorArt

In tracks, the loading force between the track and its bed presents aproblem. Further, it is difficult to support a track in the area wherethe driving and turning wheels meet the bed. In this area, the cogs ofthe driving and turning wheels require some space, meaning that the bedcannot extend seamlessly into the turning and driving wheels. Further,in conventional tracks, the track elements tend to move to an uprightposition since the distance to the grabbing spike, placedperpendicularly to the direction the track is pulled, on top of thepulling link and the track element, is considerable as compared to thespace between the joints of the track element. When the chain is pulled,a moment is created which tends to force the front edge of the trackelement up and the rear section of the element down. Simultaneously, theloading force to which the track and the bed are subjected becomeslocalized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

1. Purposes of the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a light-weightcompact feeder apparatus which solves the problem of the loading forcebetween the track and its bed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a feederapparatus where the bed of the track can extend seamlessly into theturning and driving wheels.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a feederapparatus where the tendency of the track elements to move to an uprightposition is eliminated.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome evident from the description which follows.

2. Brief Description of the Invention

The present invention provides a feeder apparatus for pulling logs intoa timber harvester. The feeder apparatus includes a case with twoattached outer side walls supporting a first shaft and a second shaft, adrive means attached to the first shaft, a cog wheel coaxiallypositioned on the first shaft, a turning wheel positioned on the secondshaft and a three strand roller chain. The three strand roller chain hasa middle strand of roller links and two outer strands of roller linkswith outer link plates and rotates around the turning wheel and the cogwheel with the cog wheel driving the center strand of roller links. Loggrabbing members are attached to the outer plates of the two outerstrands of roller links. A rolling bed is provided for supporting thecenter strand of roller links, and outer rolling beds are provided forsupporting the two outer strands of roller links for essentially theirtotal grab length.

The outer rolling beds can be fitted to support the rollers of the outerstrands of roller links in the area of the cog wheel for the totallength of the roller chain's turn.

A narrow turning wheel can be disposed overlapping the outer rollingbeds on each outer side of the outer rolling beds at the end of thechain's travel opposite to the end where the cog wheel is disposed forsupporting the rollers of each of the outer strands of roller links.

The roller links of the roller chain can be assembled such that the pinpiercing the front section of each roller link also pierces a rearsection of the adjacent roller link.

The turning wheels can run essentially in a cutout section of the outerrolling bed so as to provide a smooth passage for the chain in goingfrom a respective outer rolling bed to a respective turning wheel.

The case can include a hollow center box.

The diameter of the cog wheel preferably is from about 3 to 10 times thediameter of the chain rollers.

A rolling bed can extend on a return side to about the area of a boxforming part of the case and on the pulled side to about the level ofthe second shaft.

The width of a rolling bed preferably is from about 0.5 to 0.9 times thedistance between two adjacent rolling beds.

The motor can be directly attached to the first drive shaft.

The width between the two outer plates of the chain preferably is fromabout 9 to 30 centimeters and where the distance between the first shaftand the second shaft preferably from about two to four times thediameter of the cog wheel.

The width of the chains preferably is from about 0.5 to 0.9 the distancebetween the axes of two neighboring chain rollers of one strand.

Chains supported by a turning wheel preferably are not engaging a cogwheel disposed at the drive axis and vice versa a chain driven by thecog wheel of the drive shaft is not supported directly by a turningwheel.

The feeder apparatus, inclusive of its track, as provided by the presentinvention, is especially developed for loading processors andharvesters. The low weight and compactness of the feeder apparatus werearrived at by utilizing the roller links normally found in the rollerchains employed in tracks. In the track, the roller links have beenpositioned in three interlaced strands such that adjacent roller linksdo not have the same position and there are no side plates between theroller links as is the case in conventional multiple strand rollerchains.

Preferably, the track elements constitute the roller links of the rollerchain. Thus, the price of the track is economical and, by employingvarious structural solutions, it is easy to weld grabbing spikes on theroller links.

By placing the roller links of the track such that adjacent roller linksdo not have the same position, many significant advantages are securedas compared for example to a track made of a conventional track made ofa multiple strand roller chain.

First, the number of adjacent strands should ideally be three, and,between the roller links, there are no side plates belonging to the pinlinks as is the case in multiple strand chains. Thus, the width of theroller of the roller links is increased in relation to the total widthof the track; the loading capacity of the track in the lateral directionof the chain is high.

Further, the adjacent roller links reach the driving and turning wheelsat different times, they move in relation to one another when on thedriving and turning wheels, thereby being cleansed of bark and otherdirt.

However, because also in this track the distance, perpendicular to thedirection of pull, of the grabbing spike from the pulling joint of theroller link is long in relation to the joint spacing of the rollerlinks, the roller links would here also tend to move to an uprightposition. However, since the inner links in adjacent rows are notparallel but rather arranged such that the rear joint of the precedinglink is parallel with the front joint of the next and adjacent link, therear section of the preceding link, via the pin connecting the tworoller links, pushes the front section of the adjacent roller link down.Thus the tendency to move upright described above is eliminated.

In a three strand track, power transmission proper to the track can onlytake place by employing a cogged driving wheel positioned on the centerstrand of roller links. Thus, the driving wheel is light-weight andabove all, the rollers in the outer strands of roller links can beutilized to support the track against its rolling bed. This makes itpossible to design the rolling bed so as to make the rolling bed surfaceunder the outer strands of roller links constitute an arc. The outersurface of the arc corresponds to the diameter of the driving wheelminus its cogs. Thus, the chain is moved very smoothly by the drivingwheel. Also, the length of the bed giving support is great.

The situation with the turning wheel is more difficult because of thetightening of the track that is done here. However, by designing thewheels to be narrower, i.e., only approximately one half of the normalwidth, and by overlapping the corresponding rolling beds, the supportingsurface in the area of the turning wheel is made large also. On thecenter strand of roller links, the supporting rolling bed can be made tofull width as far as the axis of the turning wheel.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself,however, both as to its construction and its method of operation,together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be bestunderstood from the following description of specific embodiments whenread in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the variouspossible embodiments of the present invention:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the feeder apparatus of the presentinvention without a track, as seen from the log infeed side,

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the section indicated as II--II in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the roller chain, or track used in thefeeding apparatus of the present invention, minus the grabbing members,

FIG. 4 is a cross-section of the section indicated as IV--IV in FIG. 1,including the track and illustrating varying shapes of spikes of achain.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention provides a feeder apparatus for timber harvesterintended to pull the log in for trimming. The feeder apparatuspreferably features a three strand roller chain rotating around aturning wheel 6 and a cog wheel 5. Members 10 which have beencorrespondingly fashioned to grab the log to be infed are attached tothe outer plates 15 of the roller links 7 of the roller chain. The chainis powered by the cog wheel 5 driving the center strand 17 of rollerlinks. All strands 17, 18 of roller links are supported for essentiallytheir total grab length by rolling beds 2, 3 supporting the rollers.

The outer rolling beds 2 are fitted to support the rollers 16 of theouter strands 18 of roller links in the area of the driving wheel 5 forthe total length of the chain's turn.

The chain rollers 16 of the outer strands 18 of roller links are at theother end of the chain's travel supported by a narrow turning wheel 6with which the outer rolling beds overlap.

The roller links 7 of the roller chain are assembled such that the pin 8piercing the front section of each roller link 7 also pierces the rearsection of the adjacent roller link 7.

The parts of the feeder apparatus in FIG. 1 are: The side plates 1 ofthe frame, placed on the outside of the feeder apparatus and joined bybox 13. To the top of box 13 are attached the rolling beds 2 and 3. Theaxis 12 of the driving wheel 5 is supported by bearings mounted at theside plates 1 of a frame. The axis 12 is driven by the hydraulic engine4. The two strand turning wheel 6 is also mounted with bearings on theside plates 1. However, the turning wheel 6 can be shifted in axialdirection and can for instance be fastened with screws for tightening ofthe track. The turning wheel 6 can also be flush, i.e., cogless. Thebeds 2 are preferably cutout at their side adjoining the turning wheelsuch that a smooth transition is provided to the turning wheel. Thethickness of the turning wheel can be from about one fifth to one halfthe width of the bed part and is preferably one third to one quarter ofthe thickness of the bed part. Preferably the three roller bed sections2 and 3 have about equal width. The first shaft 12 and the second shaft26 can have a thickness of from about one to two times the diameter ofthe rollers of the chain members.

In FIG. 2, the rolling bed 2 is seen to continue, in the area of thechain's rotating movement around the turning wheel 5, such that thediameter of the surface of the bed 2 is equivalent to that of thedriving wheel 5 minus its cogs. The rolling bed 3 extends from the axisof the turning wheel 6 as far as the driving wheel 5, the surfaces ofthe bed having slanted ends. It can also be seen that the ends of beds 2are slanted and made narrower near the turning wheel 6. Beds 2 and 3 aresupported via the plate 14 against the box 13. Via the side plates 1 andthe different holes 79 in its body, the feeder apparatus can beconveniently attached to a timber harvester. The travel path of thetrack's pulling joints is shown as a dashed line in FIG. 2.

A section of the track without the grabbing spikes is shown in FIG. 3.The track substantially comprises the roller links 7 of the rollerchain. The roller links 7 are placed in three alternately alignedstrands, i.e., the pins 8 piercing the front section of a roller link ofroller chain strand 18 also pierces the rear section of the adjacentroller link 7 of roller chain strand 17. The pins 8 are attached inpairs to the chain side plates 9.

Shown in FIG. 4 is a cross-section of the section IV--IV indicated inFIG. 1. Shown in FIG. 4 is also the track, its grabbing spikes 10 andthe log 11 to be fed in. At the other side of the log there is anotherfeeder apparatus (not shown). The two feeder apparatuses together form ajaw, by which a log is grabbed. It can be seen that the rolling beds 2and 3 are conveniently flat in the area of the box 13; there are no bedson the return side of the chain's movement within the area of the box.The side plates 1 of the frame guide the track laterally via the sideplates 9 of the outer links. The spikes of the chain can have varyingshape as shown in FIG. 4.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful application in other types offeeder apparatus differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied inthe context of a feeder apparatus for timber harvesters, it is notintended to be limited to the details shown, since various modificationsand structural changes may be made without departing in any way from thespirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge,readily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.
 1. A feeder apparatus for timber harvesters for pulling logs into the timber harvester comprisinga frame; two outer side walls attached to the frame; a first shaft supported by the side walls; a second shaft supported by the side walls; a drive means attached to the first shaft; a cog wheel coaxially positioned on the first shaft; a turning wheel positioned on the second shaft; a three strand roller chain having middle strand of roller links and two outer strands of roller links with outer plates, wherein the roller chain rotates around the turning wheel and the cog wheel and wherein the cog wheel drives the center strand of roller links and wherein the turning wheel engages the outer strands; log grabbing members attached to the outer plates of the two outer strands of roller links; an inner rolling bed for supporting the middle strand of roller links; outer rolling beds for supporting the two outer strands of roller links for essentially their total grab length, wherein the outer rolling beds are fitted to support the rollers of the outer strands of roller links in the area of the cog wheel for the total length of the roller chain's turn.
 2. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 1 wherein the turning wheel is disposed overlapping the outer rolling beds on each outer side of the outer rolling beds at the end of the chain's travel opposite to the end where the cog wheel is disposed for supporting the rollers of each of the outer strands of roller links.
 3. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 1 further comprising pins piercing the rollers of the three strand roller chain.
 4. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 1 wherein the turning wheel runs essentially in a cutout section of the outer rolling beds such as to provide a smooth passage for the chain in going from the outer rolling beds to said turning wheel.
 5. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 1 wherein the frame includes a hollow center box.
 6. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 1 wherein the diameter of the cog wheel is from about 3 to 10 times the diameter of each of the chain rollers.
 7. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 1 wherein the frame further comprises a box shaped member and wherein the outer rolling beds extend on a return side to about the area of the box shaped member.
 8. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 1 wherein the width of a rolling bed is from about 0.5 to 0.9 times the distance between two adjacent rolling beds.
 9. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 1 wherein the drive means comprises a motor directly attached to the first drive shaft.
 10. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 1 wherein the width between the two outer plates of the chain is from about 9 to 30 centimeters and wherein the distance between the first shaft and the second shaft is from about two to four times the diameter of the cog wheel.
 11. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 1 wherein the width of the chains is from about 0.5 to 0.9 the distance between the axes of two neighboring chain rollers of one strand.
 12. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 1 wherein chains supported by the turning wheel are not engaging said cog wheel disposed at the first shaft and wherein the chain driven by the cog wheel of the first shaft is not supported by the turning wheel.
 13. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 1 wherein the turning wheel comprises two spaced apart sprockets mounted on the second shaft associated with the outer strands.
 14. A feeder apparatus for timber harvesters for pulling logs into the timber harvester comprisinga frame; two outer side walls attached to the frame; a first shaft supported by the side walls; a second shaft supported by the side walls; a drive means attached to the first shaft; a cog wheel coaxially positioned on the first shaft; two turning wheels positioned on the second shaft; a three strand roller chain having a middle strand of inner roller links and two outer strands of inner roller links with outer plates, and a strand of outer links, which hold all three neighboring inner links together, wherein the roller chain rotates around the turning wheels and the cog wheel and wherein the cog wheel drives the center strand of roller links; log grabbing members attached to the outer plates of the two outer and middle strands of inner roller links; an inner rolling bed for supporting the middle strand of roller links; and outer rolling beds for supporting the two outer strands of roller links for essentially their total grab length and for supporting the rollers of the outer strands of roller links in the area of the cog wheel for substantially the total length of the roller chain's turn.
 15. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 14 wherein the turning wheels are disposed overlapping the outer rolling beds on each outer side of the outer rolling beds at the end of the chain's travel opposite to the end where the cog wheel is disposed for supporting the rollers of each of the outer strands of roller links; and wherein the turning wheels run essentially in a cutout section of the outer rolling bed such as to provide a smooth passage for the chain in going from a respective outer rolling bed to a respective turning wheel.
 16. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 14 further comprising pins piercing the rollers of the three strand roller chain and wherein the frame includes a hollow center box.
 17. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 14wherein the diameter of the cog wheel is from about 3 to 10 times the diameter of each of the chain rollers; wherein the width of a rolling bed is from about 0.5 to 0.9 times the distance between two adjacent rolling beds; wherein the width between the two outer strands of the chain is from about 9 to 30 centimeters and where the distance between the first shaft and the second shaft is from about two to four times the diameter of the cog wheel; and wherein the width of the chains is from about 0.5 to 0.9 the distance between the axes of two neighboring chain rollers of one strand.
 18. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 14 wherein the frame further comprises a box shaped member and wherein the outer rolling beds extend on a return side to about the area of the box shaped member.
 19. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 14 wherein the drive means comprises a motor directly attached to the first drive shaft.
 20. The feeder apparatus for timber harvesters according to claim 14 wherein chains supported by the turning wheels are not engaging said cog wheel disposed at the first shaft and where the chain driven by the cog wheel of the first shaft is not supported by the turning wheels. 